The Oklahoma City Thunder were able to take care of the Minnesota Timberwolves in five games and advance to the NBA Finals. It’s set to be the franchise’s first appearance since 2012, when they ran into LeBron James and the Miami Heat, who beat them in five games. However, this time around, they are expected to be the overwhelming favorites, as they look to lift OKC’s first Larry O’Brien trophy.
Looking back on the 2012 squad that made the finals, they were, of course, headlined by an MVP trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden. Included in that group was defensive anchor Serge Ibaka, one of the league’s premier shot blockers. Reacting to the news, the former Los Angeles Clippers and Thunder star sent a message to his former team.
“Congrats @okcthunder !! Very happy for the franchise and for all my friends in OKC, my home for 7 great years. Good luck in the Finals!!” Ibaka shared in a post to his X account. Across both Seattle and Oklahoma City, Ibaka is the franchise’s all-time leader in blocked shots with 1,300.
After seven years in Oklahoma City, Ibaka was moved to the Orlando Magic in the 2016 offseason, being a part of a chain of trades that led to the Thunder acquiring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. So while he won’t be impacting the results on the court for the Thunder, his impact still lives on through a combination of trades that led to their two All-Stars.
Ibaka last appeared in the NBA during the 2022-23 season with the Milwaukee Bucks, playing 76 games with the Clippers across two seasons before that.
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